Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I know there's a lot of chomping at the bit to get on with Christmas festivities already, but I really do love to pause and appreciate Thanksgiving. I try to count my blessings all year long, but sometimes being thankful is the last thing on my mind when I've got two hungry kids in meltdown mode, a minefield of tiny, painful cars strewn across the living room, and not a single thing crossed off my to do list for days in a row. So having this one special day to sit still and think about all that I have to be grateful for is a blessing in itself. 

This may not go over so well, but the food doesn't do much for me (a meal centered around turkey is kind of eh for vegetarians). What I love most about Thanksgiving is all the people gathered around the food. For the third year in a row we'll be spending Thanksgiving with both mine and Joe's family, and any day that Ez and Declan get to spend with two sets of grandparents is cause for celebration. I love all the messy food prep, crowded kitchens filled with delicious scents, dish after dish lining the table with more food than three families could possibly eat in one sitting, and most of all the conversation and the new memories being built. I love board games and chasing the kids around outside to work off some of that food before it's time for another one of my loves: pie. Apple, pecan, pumpkin, I love em all! And that's just the stuff I'm thankful for on Thanksgiving day.

This whole year has been amazing as far as getting to visit with so many family members, far and near, and I know it's a year I'll never forget. Living in the Bay Area and getting to see my sister for impromptu midweek lunches, spending a whole weekend with ALL my sisters, and hanging out with my besties from grade school on a more regular basis has been so good for my soul. I'm thankful that through the ups and downs and ins and outs of learning to balance the demands of parenting two adventurous, energetic little boys and nurturing our own relationship Joe and I continue to grow closer than ever. I'm thankful for our beautiful wedding. And most of all I'm thankful for this family of mine, my reason for everything, who make each day, and especially holidays, so much more magical. More messy, and loud, too, but mostly more magical ;)

I wish you all a day filled with family and food - two of life's greatest blessings!